I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to internal combustion engines and, more particularly, to a modular internal combustion engine.
II. Description of the Prior Art
There are a number of previously known internal combustion engines many of which are particularly adapted for driving motor vehicles, such as automobiles. These previously known engines typically comprise an engine block and a crankcase. A plurality of pistons are reciprocally carried in a like number of cylinders formed through the engine block. Each piston is operatively coupled to and rotatably drives a crankshaft carried in the crankcase upon reciprocation of the pistons.
Of these latter types of internal combustion engines, several well-known and commonly utilized engine configurations have evolved. These engine configurations, which are named after the visual appearance of the engine block on the crankcase, are commonly known in the trade as a V-type engine, a slant-type engine, and a straight-in-line type engine.
In a V-type engine, the engine block includes two cylinder banks in a spaced relation so the axis of one cylinder bank forms one side of a V while the axis of the other cylinder bank forms the other side of the V. The crankshaft, of course, is disposed at the bottom of the V.
A slant-type engine is another type of engine configuration in which the engine block includes a single bank of cylinders in line with each other. However, when the engine is viewed axially along the crankshaft, the axis of the cylinders are skewed with respect to the vertical. A slant type engine, of course, can be either a slant-left or a slant-right engine.
A still further type of engine configuration is a straight-in-line engine in which the engine block includes a single bank of cylinders axially aligned with each other. However, unlike the slant-type engine, the axes of the cylinders within the engine block are substantially vertical.
With these previously known internal combustion engines, both the crankcase and the engine block are different for each different engine configuration. Thus, in order to construct all four engine configurations, i.e., the V-type, slant-right, slant-left, and straight-in-line engine configurations, it is necessary to construct not only four different crankcases but also four different engine blocks. This multiplicity of different components for the different engine configurations, of course, increases the overall cost of a production line of engines including more than one of the different engine configurations.